Tristan Walker is the Founder & CEO of Walker & Company Brands. Prior to his founding Walker & Company he was an Entrepreneur-in-Residence at Andreessen Horowitz.

Prior to his time at Andreessen Horowitz, he was the Director of Business Development for foursquare, where he oversaw strategic partnerships and monetization. In this role, Walker managed integrations with large brands and media entities including American Express, The New York Times, CNN, MTV, Starwood Hotels & Resorts, and Starbucks.

He has been named to Ebony Magazine's 100 Most Powerful People list, The Hollywood Reporter's Digital Power 50, and Black Enterprise's 40 Next. He is also the Founder and Chairman of CODE2040, a program that matches high performing black and latino undergraduate and graduate coders and software engineering students with Silicon Valley start-ups for summer internships.

Walker holds a bachelor's degree in economics from Stony Brook University, where he graduated as valedictorian, and an MBA from the Stanford University Graduate School of Business. He currently lives with his wife in Palo Alto, California.

Tristan Walker, founder and CEO of Walker and Company Brands, describes living your authentic brand as an entrepreneur. Traveling from the housing projects of Queens, New York to working on Wall Street and experiences at Silicon Valley tech firms, Walker discusses creating context to see opportunities and the importance of being in the problems and solutions business, in conversation with Stanford Professor Tina Seelig.

Tristan Walker, founder and CEO of Walker and Company Brands, describes living your authentic brand as an entrepreneur. Traveling from the housing projects of Queens, New York to working on Wall Street and experiences at Silicon Valley tech firms, Walker discusses creating context to see opportunities and the importance of being in the problems and solutions business, in conversation with Stanford Professor Tina Seelig.

Tristan Walker, founder and CEO of Walker and Company Brands, discusses the value of entrepreneurs bringing authenticity to their venture. Walker, a Stanford alumnus, recalls realizing that his true calling as an entrepreneur came when he discovered that "I wanted to fundamentally feel like I was the best person in the world to solve that problem."

Tristan Walker, founder and CEO of Walker and Company Brands, stresses the importance of understanding that your own brand isn't dictated by you, but is defined by what others say it is. In conversation with Stanford Prof. Tina Seelig, Walker also urges young people to manage their brand in the largely public online world.

Tristan Walker, founder and CEO of Walker and Company Brands, recalls advice that filmmaker Tyler Perry once shared: that the challenges people encounter are actually “blessings.” Walker said realizing that lesson can be liberating for entrepreneurs and calming in the face of adversity.

Tristan Walker, founder and CEO of Walker and Company Brands, urges students not to feel rushed about launching a startup, and to absorb all that surrounds them on campus. Walker, who graduated from Stanford, warns that people can get so focused on the future that they miss opportunities in the present.

Deciding where to work or what to create can begin with noticing your own passions or the unique products and services you use, according to Tristan Walker, founder and CEO of Walker and Company Brands.

Tristan Walker, founder and CEO of Walker and Company Brands, talks about ensuring that authenticity exists at his startup, and how that vision gets passed along to new recruits. It starts with having a meaningful personal connection to the product, and making sure the values of new employees are compatible with those of the company.

Tristan Walker, founder and CEO of Walker and Company Brands, talks about how he sees opportunity in creating a company that customers can be proud of. He also discusses the importance of his marriage and remaining aware that he should be doing what he fundamentally feels he should be doing.